Author Archive: Drew Decker

These are the famous noises that come from the NOC every so often. I swore and swore that I wouldn't get sick. To be honest, there was something going around about four months ago, and I was just about the only one that didn't get sick, and I was King-of-the-NOC!

Not this time.

Emails were sent out -- "Clean your workstations -- wash your hands -- don't throw your used Kleenex tissues at other NOC personnel -- and for the love of God, don't get sick". Oops. So, one by one, each NOC technician started getting sick. One down, two down, three down…

Then it hit me.

You know how it starts, don't act dumb. It all starts with that sore throat, that isn't that sore, but makes you wonder if you're getting sick, and everything ends up becoming a psychological battle of "do's and don'ts" to get better, before you get any worse. It never works. You start feeling that sore throat, which gets worse as every hour goes by, as you start overdosing on Vitamin C drops/pills. Then you think, "I don't just need Vitamin C, right!?" So, then you did around the infamous Softlayer NOC Pharmacy, and start overdosing on off-brand multivitamin, Centrum wanna-be's**.

Things get worse.

So, by the end of the shift, your throat feels like it's on fire. You have to make a Wal-Mart run at 12am in the morning (depending on your shift), and you buy every little piece of medicine you think you might need to make life better while you are…Sick.

That's right, folks. We have vitamin gumballs, and they are GROSS! The pink one is okay, probably the best out of them all, but it still taste like rubber. Ugh. Now, as for the Airborne Formula, I just don't trust it. I mean, people say it's GREAT, however, I need proof. I mean, come on, it was created by a second grade teacher. Was this teacher a doctor before he/she decided to actually teach kids multiplication? Think people. Think.

Overall, most of us in the NOC got sick, including me. I'm just now getting over this, while I still fight off a tickle cough, but I’m sure this will never be the end. So folks, keep taking that Vitamin C and that Centrum wanna-be, and don’t get sick. I’m sure next time I’m NOC gonna get sick!